As we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence it is important the we direct our attention to the great themes upon which this nation has been built. Freedom is the unique and wonderful characteristic of the United States of America. It is the last best hope upon earth.

Freedom, we believe, is a gift of God. Jesus said, "I am the Truth and the Truth shall make you free". Growing from His entrance into history has come the gradual emancipation of the soul. Freedom is a very fragile thing. It can be denied and lost because it is based upon the way it is used. Freedom can become license, and then it destroys itself. However, freedom based upon righteousness, as taught by Christ, will grow and grow, and the benefits will multiply a thousand fold.

Our Lord told us that our righteousness should exceed that of the conventional religious person. A believer in Christ is meant to live beyond the rules and regulations of life and to be good of his own free will. He is meant to be loving and kind and forgiving, and to believe not only in God but also in humanity.

The scriptures appointed for the celebration of Independence Day express this theme from St. Matthew, in which Jesus said," Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, Which is in Heaven is perfect." Our Father in Heaven has presented us His Holy word, telling us what it means to be righteous, and we are to use this revelation as a guide for our lives. To be righteous is to be strong and good. Just as iron and coal smelted together produce steel, so do strength and goodness blended together produce righteousness. Our founding Fathers are human models of righteousness. We find in them that high degree of integrity and character which made our nation great.

It is appropriate at this time that we pause and direct our attention towards what it is that has truly made our nation the leader in the world today. We need to recall what that spirit is, "That made those heroes dare to die and leave their children free". Our nation began with a small number of adventuresome immigrants who crossed the seas and settled on the inhospitable shores of this great continent. They then moved westward overcoming tremendous obstacles. We have, indeed, become a mighty nation. We are the inheritors of those brave and successful people. However, if we ever forget the central principles around which our lives are fashioned, then we, like every great nation of the past, will begin to degenerate, and we will wither and die.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a pattern in history of this process happening. Many great nations of the past, such as ancient Rome, began with a brave and resourceful people who broke away from tyranny and domination and established their own freedom and laws. Then, gradually, the population as they became successful, lost the capacity for self-discipline. Since they were no longer able to regulate their lives and live in harmony with one another, they broke into factions and began to deteriorate. They became corrupt, weak, and were eventually overrun and destroyed by their enemies. The same pattern was also true of ancient Israel.

What is it, then, that make us a great nation? A French philosopher who toured the United States about a 150 years ago in the early nineteenth century, Alexis de Tocqueville, published his observations with deep and pure insight. He said:

   "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers and it was not there.

    I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there.

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of learning, and it was not there.

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her democratic congress and her matchless constitution and it was not there.

Not until I went into the churches and saw her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

Unfortunately, the pulpits of our land no longer "Flame with righteousness". Instead, what is likely to be presented is a lukewarm soup of self-help psychology mixed with shallow political liberalism. The theme of the Kingdom of God and the righteous therefore is generally ignored by the clergy of today.

It is self-evident that the principle of freedom, which is the basis of our land, cannot continue apart from its foundation, which is a righteousness founded upon God. For an example of this righteousness we need to look no further than to the one who is the Father of our Country- George Washington.

It is said by historians that when the framers of the constitution were drawing up the specifications for the Presidency of the United States, they were not thinking in abstractions such as philosophical and legal descriptions alone. They were primarily thinking of a person of whom they had great knowledge, one who had led many of them in war for years against the British, one who had continued with them in their debates and consultations, and had been, because of his stature, both physically and emotionally their leader for so long. George Washington was the living model of what a president of a free country should be.

Now this is not unusual to look at a person as being the symbol and power of what is later to become a great institution. This is certainly true in regard to Christianity. Christianity is not a series of doctrines or laws, or a society. It is all of these things, of course, but essentially it goes back to a person. Fundamentally, Christianity is Jesus Christ. It grows out of who this person, Jesus Christ was and what He did, and how He reacted and responded to other human beings.

This principle has become a fact in our national life. The Father of our Country is one whose character and integrity were monumental. At the age of twenty, after having been a surveyor for several years in the wilderness, he was chosen by the British Governor General to lead a party of much older men into the Ohio wilderness to scout out the French and the Indian involvement. At this early age he had shown his characteristic leadership ability.

At twenty-three, he was the only one of General Braddock's aides to survive attack, and he subsequently led the British soldiers safely back to their base preventing them from being overwhelmed by the French and Indians. His military ability was known far and wide and he was chosen to head the Virginia militia. When the time came for the Revolutionary Armies, they elected him as the Commander-in-Chief.

His abilities and strength were combined with humility, together with a strong belief that all men are ruled by a higher power. It is this character of strength and humility which has passed into the American tradition, and into the American Constitution.

Perhaps, the most important event of all, which a historian of Washington's life in the book entitled "The Indespensible Washington" describes, took place not during the war at all, but after the war was won. The Congress of the United States was in such disarray that it could not agree on any bill in order to pay the soldiers and officers of the Revolutionary Army. A large group of Washington's officers gathered together and were planning, with Washington as their head, to take over the new government and put it under military rule so that they could receive what they considered to be their just deserts. They met in Newburgh, New York, in 1783.

Almost every other revolution that has occurred on this earth has ended up in a dictatorship with the winners taking over control. Washington came to this meeting knowing full well what they were about and what they wanted. He tried to talk them out of their intentions of taking the law in their own hands. He said to them "Is this what you have fought for; your liberty and freedom, and now to give it all up?" But Washington was not a great and eloquent speaker as some of the others were, and his words did not convince them. Finally, he reached into his pocket and drew out a letter, telling them, "I have a letter from one of our congressmen telling us that they are going to pay the officers of the army. I will read it to you."

He fumbled with the letter, and as the others watched him anxiously, he drew from an inner pocket his eyeglasses, which only a few of his intimates had seen. As he put them on he said,"Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles for I have not only grown gray, but also blind in the service of my country." This humble act, this putting himself in their hands, so to speak, changed the mind of the meeting. They realized that they could not give up the freedom of their country in such a casual way. They gradually disbanded. Some of the officers went away wiping their eyes as they observed their leader, who had grown gray and blind serving this land.

There were other times when many would have wanted him to become an emperor or a king. Each time he said no. He turned them down because he believed that the true character of this land was based upon freedom for all. Washington's personality and example have flown into our Constitution and into out national life. Even the soft-spoken heroic figure of the Old West is an extension of the character of Washington, who was strong, resourceful, and humble.

It is this character which needs to be recreated in every generation in order for this country to continue to be strong and for freedom to grow and abound. It is our responsibility, yours and mine, as parents and teachers, and leaders of the community to continue to hold before the public these great figures, and to teach the characteristics that made them great.

Of the founding fathers, Patrick Henry was famous for his eloquence; John and Sam Adams for their sturdy independence; John Jay for diplomacy; Hamilton for finance; Madison for legal ability; Jefferson for intellect; Franklin for wisdom; but most of all Washington was known for character. We pray that God will inspire our people today to emulate these heroes of the past. We pray that they will be inspired to develop the strong and sturdy character which George Washington, the Father of our Country, symbolized.

There is an old story about a famous city in ages past that was founded by great warriors and great statesmen. For the generations to come they built strong walls to surround the city and protect it from all dangers, within which the citizens could live, and grow, and prosper.

The people who lived in this city felt that all had been accomplished. To commemorate their great heroes, they built statues that were massive in size. Whenever enemies surrounded the city they would bring these statues out and place them on the walls. The enemies would think how great and powerful these people were, and they would leave the city and not disturb it. Generation after generation went by and, finally, there came a race of barbarians who were not discouraged by symbols without substance. They surrounded the city and laughed at the statues. They stormed the walls, and destroyed the city because there was no longer goodness and strength within. No longer were the citizens of this city able to defend themselves because they had failed to create in each generation the strong character of their founding fathers.

We pray that this will not be in our case. By the grace of God, may we establish in each generation that freedom based upon righteousness, which is the sacred trust bequeathed to us all by our Founding Fathers. As was said of old time, "America will always be great only if America continues to be good."